School Info

Pharmacy Experiential Education & Co-op

Within the Northeastern University School of Pharmacy, the Office of Experiential Education (OEE) directs all experiential learning for all Pharmacy students.

All undergraduate students majoring in Pharmacy participate in the Cooperative Education Program (Co-op). At Northeastern, Co-op fulfills the Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experience (IPPE) that is required in all pharmacy curriculum according to the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE). These introductory experiences are essential in preparing students for the Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE).

Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPEs) are completed during the final year (4th professional/P4 year) of Northeastern’s Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program. In the required six, 6-week pharmacy experiences, often referred to as rotations, APPEs provide “real world” experience in a variety of professional settings.

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Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experience (IPPE)/Co-op

The IPPE/Co-op program is a structured pharmacy internship program where students work in a full time paid, per-diem position (32-40 hours) for 4 months as a pharmacy intern. Our students have up to three 4-month Co-op experiences: 1) in the summer between their 2nd and 3rd year; 2) in the winter/spring of their 3rd year; and 3) in the fall of their 4th year. See a Sample Curriculum grid.

Students are required to complete both a community and an institutional experience. Students who complete these requirements are then eligible for a third co-op for study abroad, international co-op, research, or a specialized pharmacy experience. Some examples are pharmaceutical industry, managed care, compounding, informatics, and nuclear pharmacy.

Two full-time faculty, both licensed pharmacists, are responsible for the introductory experience curriculum. All students are required to participate in a course: Introduction to Pharmacy Practice. This course introduces students to the world of work in pharmacy, professional behaviors, and basic introductory pharmacy practice skills.

Students work in a variety of positions throughout the greater Boston area during Co-op and are also able in most cases to obtain positions close to home. All of these experiences help students to learn and develop practice skills, expose them to the culture of health care, and to different career paths within pharmacy. These introductory experiences are essential in preparing students for their Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPE).

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Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE)

The primary goal of APPEs is to enable students to apply knowledge, skills, and behaviors to the practice of contemporary clinical pharmacy within the American health care system. Enabling goals include:

identifying population-based drug therapy and monitoring requirements

communicating effectively with patients, preceptors, and members of the health care team

recommending patient-specific therapeutic plans based on the unique clinical, psychosocial, cultural, and educational needs of each patient

developing professional, organizational and time-management skills

instilling the value of and ability to pursue life-long learning

Students choose desired APPEs from among several hundred practice sites in the greater Boston area and beyond. Students must fulfill four required APPE rotations and can select two electives. . The four required APPE rotations are: Community Pharmacy, Internal Medicine, Ambulatory Care, and Health-system. Examples of Health-system rotations include Cardiology, Infectious Disease and Intensive Care. Some examples of elective rotations may include Drug Information, Pharmaceutical Industry, and Teaching.

The School of Pharmacy is affiliated with many institutions in Massachusetts, in the northeast region and as well as nationally. The Office of Experiential Education (OEE) works with preceptors in an increasing number of practice settings to offer the student body a wide variety of practice experiences.

Sites offering APPEs are in, around, and outside of the greater Boston area. For example, students may fulfill their Internal Medicine APPE rotation at a major teaching hospital in the city of Boston or travel to the Cape and fulfill it at a hospital there.

The OEE encourages the development of new and innovative practice experience.

Congratulations to our 2017 APPE Affiliate Preceptor of the Year Channel De Leon, and 2017 IPPE Affiliate Preceptor of the Year Andrea Resseguie!

This year’s recipients were selected by students and recognized at the Class of 2017 Convocation. We offer our thanks to all of our excellent preceptors in the Northeastern Pharmacy experiential education program!

Our Preceptors

Preceptors for Northeastern University School of Pharmacy are mission-critical in preparing the next generation of Pharmacy leaders and professionals.

Precepting students during their Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experience (IPPE) means introducing and guiding them through early professional training in their educational Co-operative (Co-op). Preceptors of students during their Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE) apply classroom knowledge, develop skill sets and refine professionalism in their final year of pharmacy school.

Whether serving as a preceptor for Co-op/IPPEs or APPEs or both, this role is vital to helping our students acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to become a competent and professional pharmacist. Their contributions to the education of our pharmacy students and the future of our profession are so important the OEE continuously strives to provide a well-supported and rewarding experience for our preceptors

Pharmacy Student Registration Information

Per regulations, all Pharmacy students are registered as a Pharmacy Intern in the state they are employed in; IPPE/Co-op students need a preceptor to complete their documentation. All students are provided the Massachusetts forms and links to applications for all other states.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is co-op a paid experience?

Yes, in the majority of cases, students are providing a service to the employer full-time for 16 weeks, so they should be paid a nominal wage. The range is from $11 to $17+/hour, depending on the job and geographical location. A contract is not required since it is an employer/employee relationship. In some cases, a student may chose to volunteer 8-24 hours a week to learn about a particular setting if a paid position isn’t available. They should not be used to replace regular staff.

Who is responsible for paying payroll taxes?

Students are placed in an hourly rate position as either a per diem or seasonal employee, and the employer is responsible for all related payroll taxes. A student cannot be hired as an independent consultant and submit a 1099 form per IRS regulations. Please review the Co-op Employer Handbook for details of employment, located on the above website.

Do students receive benefits?

As a temporary employee, they do not receive benefits in most cases. All students are required to have health insurance from either their family or the University, and the University supplies Liability Insurance. If there is an issue involving liability, please contact the co-op faculty member who will work with University Counsel. Some retail companies provide employee discounts but that is done based on a company policy.

What evaluations are required by the school?

Northeastern University utilizes the co-op experience to meet the accreditation requirements for a community and institutional experience. Students are guided to complete an experience in each setting by the co-op faculty. At the end of the co-op experience, the preceptor/supervisor is asked to complete a short competency assessment form. There is one specific for community and one for institutional settings. There is also a performance evaluation which assesses a student’s workplace behaviors including being on time, working with others, etc. Depending on the state internship requirements, the pharmacist preceptor must complete the internship record of hours. Competency evaluations are on the above website under FORMS.

Can I ask a student to return for a second co-op?

As long as they meet the competency requirements of an institutional and community experience, the student may return. If a student wants to return for a second co-op, they must ask the supervisor if they are welcome to return, and the co-op faculty will verify the information and address any funding issues associated with the position with the appropriate people.

Do students get time off during co-op?

Students are considered full-time employees during their co-op and must follow the scheduling requirements of the site. That includes weekends, nights and holidays. Students do not get a vacation during a co-op period and are not eligible for university time off such as Spring break and Christmas break. Dates are posted on the website above and students know well ahead of time what they are. If a student needs time for anything, they must go through the supervisor as all other employees. If there are any issues, please contact the co-op faculty to intervene with the student.

Can students work part-time in between co-op and during a co-op period?

Many employers, especially local sites, request that students work part-time after their co-op to provide night and weekend coverage and maintain their skills. Students are advised that working 8-16 hours a week is manageable, but beyond 16 hours is not recommended when they are in classes full-time. If a student has a co-op position and additionally wants to work part-time, it is permitted so long as the employer is not a direct competitor of the co-op and both employers are aware of the situation. The full-time co-op position takes priority over the part-time position in scheduling. The student must be eligible to work in the U.S. outside of their co-op/IPPE blocks. Students with an F1 or J1 visa are not eligible to work outside of their co-op/IPPE blocks.

What other resources are available for students while on co-op?

Students on co-op are considered full-time students and are eligible for counseling services, library access and other benefits of a student. If there are any issues that occur during a co-op experience, contact the co-op faculty and they will work with the appropriate University resource to address a particular concern.

If a student is stellar and I want to recommend them for recognition, how do I do it?

Northeastern University has a Cooperative Education Award program which recognizes outstanding co- op students throughout the university. The co-op faculty member nominates students based on feedback received from employers. Other avenues include state professional associations which recognize outstanding students, nominated by pharmacists at the site. Students have also been recognized in hospital newsletters and other media. We have some amazing students in the program.

Can a co-op student be terminated before the end of the work period?

Yes, as an employee, a student is subject to the policies and rules of the employer. If a situation occurs where continued employment is in question, we would like you to contact the co-op faculty to determine if there are any other issues ongoing outside of work and if the situation can be resolved. The employer has the ability to terminate a student at anytime.

Do students receive a grade for co-op?

Students receive a Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory on their transcript. As long as a student completes their co-op, completes the evaluations and learns from the experience, they receive a Satisfactory. If a student gets terminated or has issues during the co-op, they may receive an Unsatisfactory. The grade does get noted on their transcript. The co-op faculty has the final decision on the grade.

Can International Students work on co-ops?

Yes. Once the student receives and accepts a job offer, they will receive a form from the co-op faculty that is reviewed and processed by the Northeastern University Office of Global Services (OGS), which authorizes the student to work during the date range of the co-op period. Any changes to the co-op dates MUST be approved by the co-op faculty member and the OGS ahead of time, otherwise the student will be in violation of their visa and approved authorization. International students cannot obtain a social security number until they have a co-op position, so for the first position, there is a short delay while they are directed by OGS to obtain a social security number. A student may not work on a co-op without authorization from the OGS. The website is http://www.northeastern.edu/ogs/